Z is for Zoo

At least, that's what Tricia says it's for...she LOVES the Zoo (even our very small and "under renovation" Zoo in Norfolk), so, of course, she would decide on a whim (and on the hottest day ever in the history of April) to want to go to the Zoo while we were in VA earlier this week. Because I'm such an awesome husband and father, I obliged. Gwyneth really couldn't care less about anything but the monkeys (who came up to the glass window), but it was still fun!
















Nate

An April Evening At The Beach

Where did spring go? The temps went from the 50's to the 80's in 24 hours, skipping the 60's and 70's which always make April such a pleasant month. But, we've been taking advantage of the summer-like weather and hitting up the beach more than once the past week, including a nice evening walk with Meka, who loves everything about the beach, including the delicious taste of the sand. Gwyneth, however, is not yet sure what to think of the sand...



























Nate

My New Niece!

Let me introduce you to Evaine Claire ("Evaine" is pronounced like the name "Elaine"). She was born last Thursday morning, just a day before her due date and just under 8lbs. She's beautiful!




Congrats to Rachel and Ramon! Can you guess where her parents got her first name from?

Nate

Almost Forgot...

I get so caught up in updating Facebook and Twitter that I forget to update my blog...

We arrived home yesterday evening, safe and sound. Tricia is feeling better and will be receiving an antibiotic to clear out her pneumonia. They could never tell us for sure what has caused it, but a CT Scan of her sinuses revealed some major congestion and inflammation, so they're assuming that is the cause. She and Gwyneth are out enjoying the weather and hanging with some friends today.

Thanks for your prayers...our goal is to stay out of Duke for the remainder of the spring/summer!

Nate

Lonely No More

Gwyneth,

I just want to say thank you for being such a fun, beautiful and loving companion to me when mommy's in the hospital. Except when other family and friends were around, I used to be alone a lot when mommy had to stay in the hospital...it was no fun leaving her alone, driving in the car alone, running errands alone, sleeping in the hotel alone.

Now, I have you to miss mommy with, buy clean underwear and socks with, eat in the cafeteria with, and bring mommy home with...you make the missing much easier. And, I know that mommy feels better about me not being so alone too. You make our lives better in every way, just by being you!

Love,

Papa

1 Year Adjusted Birthday!

Today is Gwyneth's 1 year adjusted birthday...she was due to be born on April 24, 2008.

So, I thought we'd take a look at how Gwyneth compares to a normal 1 year old...

The average 1 year old:

> Triples the birth weight.
Gwyneth is actually about 10 times her birth weight, from 1lb 6oz to 15lb 3 oz.

> Grows to a height of 50% over birth length.
Gwyneth has grown from 12 inches to over 26 inches.

> Has one to eight teeth
Gwyneth now has four teeth and a few more about to break through.

> Pulls to stand, crawls rapidly, seats self on floor , cruises on furniture or walks alone with an unsteady gait.
Gwyneth rolls, a lot.

> Turns through the pages of a book by flipping many at a time.
Gwyneth loves books and has been turning (and eating) pages for several months.

> Has a precise pincer grasp and feeds herself.
Gwyneth can grab her own food and will gladly put anything she grabs in her mouth, including her bottle.

> Sleeps 8 - 10 hours at night and takes one to two naps.
Gwyneth sleeps about 10 hours every night and usually takes two one-hour naps.

> Plays social games such as pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo and so-big.
Gwyneth likes to bob her head back and forth and laugh at you when you try to play games with her.

> Bangs two blocks together.
Gwyneth bangs her head on a lot of things.

> Has vocabulary of one to three words in addition to "mama" and "dada."
Gwyneth likes to growl and babble, but does not know yet what she's saying.

> Drinks from a cup - not bottles.
Gwyneth only drinks from bottles.

> Waves "bye-bye."
Gwyneth does not wave.

> Will begin to cooperate a little in getting dressed by holding still.
Gwyneth wiggles...all the time.

No matter how small or "under-developed" her doctors might think she is, we love Gwyneth and wouldn't change a thing about her. She has shown no signs that she will have any mental or physical disabilities later in life, and she's slowly catching up with her growth and development. Honestly, we couldn't be happier that she's simply alive.

Nate

10,000,000 Hits!

Woo Hoo!

Much more exciting than that, my youngest sister is now a mommy, and I'm an uncle to a beautiful baby girl!

Welcome, Evaine Claire Sanchez! Congrats Rachel and Ramon!!!!

Nate

New Port

Tricia is receiving a new Port this morning...this will be her third (the other two were removed because of risk of infection...hopefully this one will stay). After speaking with several people the past few days and putting her foot down about not wanting the other options, she won the battle (I'm proud of her). The procedure is one that requires sedation, and from experience, it can be painful and will basically leave her groggy and grumpy for the rest of the day.

Also, my littlest sister, Rachel, is at the hospital back home waiting for her water to break and to deliver Gwyneth's very first cousin on the Lawrenson side of the family! We're bummer that we can' be there...we're also bummed that it didn't happen yesterday. Tricia was hoping for an Earth Day child, suggesting "Skylark Tree Blooming" for her name...

Thanks for praying for Tricia and Rachel today!

Nate

Kayleigh

I woke up this morning to an email about my friend Adam's daughter, Kaleigh. She is a micro-preemie who has been in the hospital for several months due to many different issues...things have been slowly and steadily progressing toward a discharge, but it appears that something has gone very "wrong" in the past few days. It is believed that Kayleigh may have had a stroke and that she is now brain dead.

Please take a moment to pray for Kayleigh and her family with me, and maybe stop by her Blog and leave an encouraging note.

Thanks.

Nate

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

Gwyneth and I dropped Tricia off at the ER this morning around 10:30...after a few hours of x-rays and tests, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and was admitted as a patient into the hospital. We're not sure of the details yet, and it certainly seems to us that it's not a serious case (although, it is always "serious" when dealing with a TX patient). Hopefully we'll hear some more info tomorrow, including how long she may have to stay at Duke. She is in good spirits (her current room is immediately next door to the room she was in for a few months last year), has been facebooking, IMing and twittering like a maniac, and is currently neighbor to a good friend of ours (Remember Lori?!? She's been at Duke this time for nearly a month, but is doing well and going home on Thursday!). If nothing else, at least we know why Tricia has been feeling poorly recently, for which we are very thankful.

Gwyneth had a great day, however! While Tricia was hanging in the ER and being admitted, Gwyneth and I were walking around the campus (laughing) and then onto her first of two big appointments this week. All of the news from her special infant care clinic is great. They are happy with her growth and her developmental progress, and we'll be making some immediate, positive changes to her diet and meds. She has several appointments tomorrow, including her one-year hearing test, the CF sweat test (yes, all other tests have been negative, but because her mother has CF, we're going all in with this one last test) and a visit with her pulmonologist (who will, hopefully, nix a few meds that she's been on since birth). We're praying for more great reports.

And, to add to her great day, Gwyneth was just about the most happiest baby ever! Other parents will probably know what I'm talking about here...you know when an infant has a light bulb moment...when they wake up one day and decide they're going to grow a bit in their behavior and interaction with the rest of the world? Gwyneth had one of those days today...she literally would not stop laughing! She laughed at everything...her toys, her nurses, her doctor...the hospital lights, the blue gloves, the paper that lays on top of the examination table...her juice bottle, her mother's games, our friends' puppy. It certainly made my day much more enjoyable, although I'm sure I would have seen some strange looks from people had I stopped the fun long enough to look up. We'll see if this behavior continues tomorrow...

And, of course, Stellan seems to have had just about the best day that anyone of us could have expected under such circumstances!

All in all, with the right perspective, today was a very good day. And, (although I probably shouldn't tell the whole world yet), our week might be getting so much better very, very soon...stay tuned!

I hope you had some laughter in your life today!

Nate

BTW, if you've been wondering what's been going on with us since my last update, you can always follow me on Twitter and Facebook!

Wearing Orange

We didn't get the memo until after we left home, so our first stop this morning is Target to find something orange to wear as we pray for Stellan, Doctor A. and his medical team, and the MckFamily. Stellan's is actually headed into his very risky heart surgery right now, and, even as we sit in waiting rooms and visit with our own medical teams, we'll be praying that God will grant this little boy one more miracle.

Thanks for your prayers...we arrived safely in Durham last night around midnight. Today will be busy, although we don't know how much until Tricia gets evaluated. We'll be looking for other oranges in the hospital!

Nate

Driving To Duke

Gwyneth has appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday at Duke, and we were originally planning on driving to Durham tomorrow. But, Tricia hasn't been doing well the past several weeks, and the past few days have been worse, so we're driving to Durham tonight and heading to the hospital early tomorrow morning.

Unfortunately, the transplant team can't fit us into their schedule, so she'll have to go to the ER (yeah, doesn't make much sense to us either). As I mentioned, Tricia's been having some issues for a while now, and she's certain that something is wrong, but nothing has shown up on any tests or scans so far. We're hoping that she'll get the attention she needs and that they'll be able to diagnose whatever is wrong.

Thanks for your prayers as we travel.

Nate

Easter Pics

Because Gwyneth was sick on Easter Sunday, she and Tricia stayed home. So, we took some pics today after church. Gwyneth finally got to wear her green dress (thanks Carol!), and, for the very first time, she spent a Sunday morning in our church's nursery!











Aren't my girls beautiful?!

Nate